Social media use and risky sexual behaviours among adolescents: a scoping review

Adolescence is a critical developmental stage in which biological maturation, increasing autonomy, peer influence, and digital engagement may shape sexual decision-making. This scoping review aimed to map the available evidence on the relationship between social media use and sexual risk-related outcomes among adolescents. Following PRISMA-ScR guidance and a Population-Concept-Context (PCC) framework, peer-reviewed literature examining social media use and related digital exposures among adolescents was reviewed. Outcomes were distinguished as conventional sexual risk behaviours, including unprotected sex, multiple sexual partnerships, early sexual initiation, transactional sex, and sexual activity under the influence of substances; digital sexual behaviours, including sexting and sharing sexually explicit content; and sexual-content exposure or victimization, including pornography exposure and pressured or non-consensual sexual exchanges. Forty-nine studies were included. Cross-sectional quantitative studies predominated, while qualitative, mixed-methods, longitudinal, cohort, and experimental studies were also represented. Social media use and specific forms of digital engagement were frequently associated with sexual risk-related outcomes; however, heterogeneity in exposures, outcomes, age groups, and study designs limits comparability and precludes causal inference. Further research using standardized definitions and measures, adolescent-specific analyses, and longitudinal designs is needed to clarify temporal relationships between digital engagement and adolescent sexual health.